As part of the Ragulator complex it is involved in amino acid sensing and activation of mTORC1, a signaling complex promoting cell growth in response to growth factors, energy levels, and amino acids. Activated by amino acids through a mechanism involving the lysosomal V-ATPase, the Ragulator functions as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor activating the small GTPases Rag. Activated Ragulator and Rag GTPases function as a scaffold recruiting mTORC1 to lysosomes where it is in turn activated. LAMTOR1 is directly responsible for anchoring the Ragulator complex to membranes. Also required for late endosomes/lysosomes biogenesis it may regulate both the recycling of receptors through endosomes and the MAPK signaling pathway through recruitment of some of its components to late endosomes.
